Ugh, do I REALLY have to schedule ANOTHER colonoscopy?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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I was definitely feeling hunger at times Sunday, but that was handled by drinking more.

And, mischief managed. Only issue this time around was that apparently I started producing excess saliva during the upper GI, and this meant I woke up with the worst case of dry mouth I have ever experieced: the anesthesiologist gave me a dose of glycopyrrolate to stop the saliva, and evidently I’m quite sensitive to that. It was bad enough that I choked on the crackers they fed me afterward.

I was pretty pissed; I have never needed it before, and I assumed it was just that doctor’s “this is what I give EVERYONE” protocol. I actually spoke with him today though and it was indeed in response to saliva; evidently he responded to it before the gastro even knew it was needed. He was surprised at how long the effect lasted for me. I’ll have to mention it next time around, to make sure they start with a lower dose if they think it’s needed at all.

All in all, the prep was much less violent this time around. It kicked in within an hour of drinking the potion (faster than usual for me). It had done what it needed to within an hour after that, though it kept working for another 2ish hours each time. I told the doc that there needs to be something equivalent to Narcan, to reverse the effect! I will definitely stick with the cranberry-scented household cleaner in the future.

The procedure itself was no big surprise; I had a largeish (1 cm) polyp a bit further up than I’d had before, so I’m still on a 1-year schedule.

And for fun I weighed myself before I started the prep. I actually weigh four pounds MORE than I did beforehand. I chalk that up to the large amount of liquid I drank (about 72 ounces each round) and the fact that it was all very carb-heavy.

Some doctors, I guess, do not bother with the split-dose regimen. It’s considered to give better results in general - but if you were OK with the single dose, lucky you!!

My doc’s procedures have evolved, slightly, over the past 13 years. First time around, I was on a TWO DAY clear liquids diet, which was not fun as day 1 was spent flying back from vacation in the southwest. Next time, a year later, same prep, except only ONE day of clear liquids. And since I switched away from OsmoPrep, the instructions have never mentioned anything like Gatorade or other electrolyte sources. Which is a relief, since my doc is so restrictive about the coloring allowed (no blue, even) and the permissible flavors are all nasty.

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OK now I got this mental image about a cranberry version of Fabuloso.

Due for my preview/scheduling visit in a couple of days, will see what new and exciting changes there may be for this next go-around.

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LOL!

See my post from August 29 for a link to my writeup on the topic. I’m going to have to update my comments on ClenPiq there.

I was a little surprised that doc never suggested SuFlave (new; it’s basically a high-volume PEG prep that supposedly tastes like Gatorade). But since my preferences are to minimize the nastiness, I’ll stick with my cranberry-flavored household cleaner.

Oh yeah: my last experience (a year ago, with SuTab) was memorable not just for me: the doctor remembered it too! Not quite the way I want to be memorialized!

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@Digital_is_the_new_Analog - any update? Seems like yours should have happened yesterday.

And - how is your mother doing?

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Mine is this coming Wednesday. I’m just getting into the 5 day window to stop taking my fish oil, which is the only med/supplement I’m on that is on my doc’s ‘do not take’ list. I’m going to start transitioning to a low fiber diet, even though it’s not on the official instructions. Nothing official to do until Monday evening, when I take my milk of magnesia. I was supposed to go to my run club Monday night, but I think that might be a bad idea, so I’ll stay in :smiley:

Mom had cycle 4 this past Monday, which was her second cycle with the new drug protocol. She also started an iron IV supplement. She seems to be tolerating this protocol much better, and has more energy. She’s still on a 2 week cycle for the chemo, but will be getting iron weekly for a total of 3 weeks.

We met with the doctor for a check-point on Monday. He’s happy with her progress, other than her weight. She’s been struggling to eat enough, but we’re working through the various issues. She’s added a protein shake, and I’ve found a meal delivery service that gives both her and Dad options they like. I’m hoping that the new protocol helps her eat more.

The good news is that her ctDNA test, which measures the circulating tumor in her system, has dropped from an initial baseline of around 7800 down to about 3800.

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Good to hear that your mother is tolerating things a little better!

Our “low fiber” instructions have us stopping the fiber 3 days before, e.g. for a Monday procedure, low fiber on Friday and Saturday.

I’ve heard that having less food in the system can reduce the duration of the “active phase”. That may or may not have been at play for me this time - because I’m on Ozempic, I’m generally eating less (even though it had been a week since I took a dose). Things were done by 4 hours after starting the dran-o, which is relatively good for me.

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That’s good to know, since I’m making that part of for myself. Since I’m on Wednesday, I’ll change the diet up for Sunday/Monday for low fiber before the Tuesday liquid phase. Thanks!

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You’re welcome!

In the past, I’ve found that this has an unfortunate effect on my digestion - so I got permission to take a little Miralax those days. In more recent years, my gut behavior has changed so this is no longer an issue.

Also, the low-residue diet DOES allow stuff like peeled fruit and cooked veggies, so it’s not completely devoid of viramins. I guess something like cooked carrots is less likely to leave reminders in the gut than their raw counterparts would.

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OK date set for March 13, and they said they’ll be doing the same as last time, namely Suprep. Back when I last did it in 2019 I recall I was like “oh, so this is it? I expected worse from all everyone else said” so I hope my memory is not betraying me. Now to wrangle up someone for the “pick up and drive home” part of the ritual…

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I used Suprep and it’s really not that bad.

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I’m surprised that more people aren’t being given SuTab instead. Same main ingredient (sodium sulfate) in essentially identical amounts. The lesser ingredients are slightly different (I’ve got all that at the end of my writeup document).

It was by far the EASIEST one to take, of all the varieties I’ve tried. 12 (I think) largeish pills, followed by a fairly large amount of other liquids.

I’d happily use it again, if I hadn’t had such a, well, violent experience. My doc actually briefly suggested that, for this last round; I refused because it’s really the same as the pill version.

I’m actually very, well, “happy” isn’t quite the word, but maybe “relieved” at how well the ClenPiq worked this time around. I think they’ve “improved” the flavor since last time (i.e. made it worse) but the quantity is so small, I could deal with it.

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It might have to do with cost - when I asked for it, I was told my insurance probably wouldn’t cover it. I didn’t care. I had checked out the uninsured price and was willing to pay it but I think it was a couple hundred dollars. Turned out that not oly was it covered, I had no copay.

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Talk about adding insult to inju

Talk about adding insult to injury. $200 for …that?!

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Heh…re-reading the instructions, as one should do, I noticed this line for the first time: “2 Days before procedure: No fruits, vegetables, beans, corn, or seeds.” That would be today.
I guess I’ll slightly modify my plan for the day and go with that. I was going to have some cut up honeydew (instead of a full apple), but I’ll manage without it :rofl: And I guess I’ll skip the broccoli in last night’s leftovers.

I had no plans for beans, corn, or seeds, so that part is easy!

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You and I are a day or two apart because I get mine on Friday.

Tomorrow I have to stop taking fiber supplements.
Wednesday no raw fruit, raw veggies, nuts, seeds. No solid food at all after midnight.
Thursday. I’ll be having chicken broth, lemon jello and yellow/orange fruit gems candy. Lots of water. First dose of Suprep at 6pm.
Friday. Second dose of Suprep at 4am. Check in at 8am. The ex-wife will be my driver.

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Two days - show time for me is Wednesday morning. My last solid food will be tonight. I do some minor prep this evening - 4tbsp milk of magnesia. Scheduled for 5:30, but I’m at the clinic with Mom for an iron infusion right now, and I don’t think we’ll leave here until 5:45 or 6. Which means I may not be home until 7. I don’t think the timing will effect things, overall. Tomorrow is the real fun, with Dulcolax starting at 1pm, followed by MiraLAX in 8oz gatorade sessions, starting at 2.

By Wednesday afternoon, I’ll either be feasting, or napping :smiley:
Good luck!

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Well, the Milk of Magnesia definitely did it’s thing last night. I felt a little rumbly right up to bed time, but there was no more activity at that point, so…yay.

Had some caffeine free mint tea this morning to take the psychological place of coffee. (I’m allowed to have decaf coffee, but, well, no…) Drinking some chicken broth right now for taste and substance.

I’m working this morning as a distraction. I may call into a few meetings this afternoon, carefully ensuring I’m muted.

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Did your instructions say caffeine-free only? Mine listed coffee but never said anything about caffeine (and things like cola were explicitly listed). Nonissue for me, since I’m not a coffee drinker, but if it’s permitted, why not enjoy?

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Mine specifically lists coffee (caffeine free, without milk or cream) in the allowable beverages section.
It doesn’t qualify the tea as with or without caffeine, but I decided to play it safe and stay caffeine free.

I just drank the last of my MiraLAX/Gatorade mix. I’m already pretty cleaned out - I’m producing clear, light yellow fluid. Hopefully I’ll only have a few more sessions in the bathroom, and then it’ll be just ignoring hunger and boredom until the morning.

The outpatient facility called this afternoon to collect medical information. I wanted to explain to them that the day before the colonoscopy is probably not a good time to get people on the phone, but their timing actually was pretty good, so I was able to give them what they needed.

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As a few warned might happen early in the thread, they fucked up the coding for the billing.

So back in 2020 I tried to donate blood and was told that my iron was too low. Long story short, I was donating too often and it was solved by only donating two or three times a year and taking an iron supplement three times a week. This caused someone to code the reason for the colonoscopy as diagnostic rather than screening.

So, I got a call on Friday saying that I haven’t met my deductable and would need to pay $1000 for the procedure. I explained the situation to the biller and she agreed that it was a mistake but the doctor’s office has to re-code. I talked to the doctor’s office admin this morning and she agreed but needed the doctor’s permission to change it. I am supposed to get a callback and this better be resolved before SuPred day.